New Delhi, April 3 The 14th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) began at the Vigyan Bhavan convention centre here Tuesday morning with the participation for the first time of Afghanistan in the expanded eight-nation grouping.Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opened the summit that was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse, Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Bangladesh caretaker government Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, the newest member of the eight-nation grouping.It was also attended by the United States, the European Union, China, Japan and South Korea as observers.Earlier, the leaders flagged off the SAARC car rally outside the Vigyan Bhavan. The rally arrived here Monday, comprising 30 cars and 105 participants.The rally began on March 15 from Cox's Bazaar in Dhaka. It is now headed for Sri Lanka. It is a 30-day trip divided into three legs and is into its 20th day.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
